Watchdog extends probe into cyber attack on Nonghyup

By Park Sae-jin Posted : May 4, 2011, 13:18 Updated : May 4, 2011, 13:18
South Korea‘s financial watchdog said Wednesday it will extend its ongoing inspection into a hacking attack on the country’s agricultural cooperative (Nonghyup) lender that crippled its online services last month, Yonhap news agency reported.

The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) launched the probe at the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, or Nonghyup, on April 18 following the attack that North Korean hackers are believed to have masterminded.

The attack smashed Nonghyup's online services for weeks and the firm’s computer security management drew heavy criticism from the regulator and customers.

The inspection, initially set to end on Wednesday, will be extended till May 12 to further examine who is responsible for the intrusion and attack, am watchdog official said to the news agency.

According to the news, inspectors will try to identify those who are responsible. "During the inspection last month, the firm was found to have failed to properly manage its internal regulation,”an official said to the news.

The decision came one day after the prosecution concluded that Pyongyang‘s intelligence organization was responsible for the attack. Prosecutors also found that Nonghyup violated computer security control regulations in its maintenance of the key laptop used to control the overall computer systems and managed poorly confidential passwords needed to operate the security system, the news added.

Customer's class action is going on. One group of 1,600 customers that organized over the Internet said it would file a class-action lawsuit against Nonghyup.


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